54% of projects don’t deliver the scope they agreed upon.
Scope creep is one reason for this. This article will discuss it.

What is scope creep?
What is feature creep?
What causes scope creep?
Who is responsible to scope creep?
What is so bad about scope creep anyway?
What is change control? Why is it important?
How to avoid scope creepStep 1: Document the change request within the change log
Step 2: Review the request briefly to establish ownership
Step 3: Designate an owner to more thoroughly analyze the impact of the change
Step 4: Determine the priority of the request for change
Step #5: Analyze and report on the change impact
Step #6: Decide what course of action to take: Approve or deny the change request
Step #7: Keep a record of the outcome in the change log
Step #8: Update all pertinent documentation if approved

Examples of scope creepAn example of scope creep in software engineering
Construction scope creep: Example
Scrum example of scope creep

FAQWhat is scope creep in agile software?
What is scope creep?
How can you spot scope creep?
Is scope creep a risk?

What is scope creep?
Scope creep is when additional requirements are added onto a project beyond what was agreed upon initially. These additions are not officially authorized.
Scope creep occurs when the project sponsor asks, “Can you just …?”?”
(By the by, the answer is “Yes, I will analyze the impact and make a recommendation to you for our current budget, timeline, and other considerations.”)
Scope creep can occur at any point after a project officially begins.
Because you can make changes to the scope statement at any time, the ‘formally authorized’ section is important. It is normal to make changes to the scope as you go. These changes should be thoroughly analyzed and documented before being incorporated into the project.
What is feature creep?
Basically, feature creep or requirement creep is the same as scope creep. This refers to the process by which the project’s requirements and feature list grow over time without proper control.
Scope creep is the more popular term, but you might hear both, particularly if you work in software development.
What causes scope creep?
Lack of requirements management can lead to scope creep. If the project manager doesn’t actively manage changes to scope, there’s no way to know what is in and out. You can do whatever you want.
These are the top 5 causes for scope creep
Ambiguous scopes or poorly defined
Inadequacy of formal scope and requirements management process
Inconsistent collection of product requirements
Stakeholder involvement and sponsorship are not encouraged
Due to the fact that sponsors have more time to refine their ideas and allow for the original business propositions to evolve, project length is longer
These are laid out in a PMI* research paper.
Who is responsible to scope creep?
Scope creep is the responsibility of the project manager.
It is not the project manager who comes up with new requirements and asks the team to “just do them”.
An incompetent project manager will accept every change, but without considering the impact on the original plan and team, the budget, or the project schedule.
What is so bad about scope creep anyway?
Scope creep can cause unauthorized changes to projects, which can lead to project failures.
Add an additional cost
Add more time
You can take the team away because they are spending more time working on this project.

It has a negative impact on business if a project takes longer, costs more, and ties up resources. This means that other projects won’t be able to start on the expected date and overall, the project costs go up.
It is likely that there will be delays in receiving the benefits of this project. This is because the resources are busy doing other things, so they aren’t available to deliver the project.